It is an honour to meet people who are so intelligent and so full of wisdom that what they say is profound enough to have an impact on how one views life.

Over the weekend I was fortunate to interview a wonderful scholar. He implied or one could say that I gleaned from him the importance of making a stand. As a Sikh we need to ensure that we are defending the defense-less.

On a day when the Olympic torch was lit to embark on its journey to Beijing, it was interrupted. Protesters from media rights group, ‘Reporters Without Borders’ broke through the cordon of 1,000 police officers in Olympia as China’s envoy spoke.

China’s occupation in Tibet is clearly negative. Its influences in Dafur and Burma all point towards apathy. I recently viewed a documentary (Unreported World) where I witnessed how China is desperate for resources in Africa, incidentally driven by the West’s desire / demand for cheap consumer goods. The programme (Unreported World) suggested that China is walking away from ensuring that workers are not exploited.

The BBC also reported that, The head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Jacques Rogge, has defended the decision to hold the Games in China saying:

The major political leaders don’t want a boycott.

In his speech during the ceremony, Mr Rogge said the Olympic torch relay and the Games should take place in a peaceful environment.

The torch is the link between all athletes and citizens of this world; between all of us who believe in Olympism and the virtue of sport. It has the force to unite humanity and to stand for harmony.

Today China has an opportunity to show that it can change its political stance. Is unity for humanity only achievable on a platform of athletic competition? I looked up the word ‘Olympism’. Its Ancient definition is in the beliefs of the ancient Greeks, who encouraged people to develop their physical, moral, intellectual, cultural and artistic qualities harmoniously. Modern Olympism promotes a way of life based on:

• The balanced development of the body, will and mind
• The joy found in effort
• The educational value of being a good role model
• Respect for universal ethics including tolerance, generosity, unity, friendship, non-discrimination and respect for others.

The Goal of Olympism is described as the use of sport to promote the balanced development of people as an essential step in building a peaceful society that places a high value on human dignity.

In one sense Olympism is confined to sport influencing change.

Where are the obligations for the country that is hosting the games. If they (any Olympic host) do not believe or respect the Olympic ideals how can the participants respect the associated country?

Before it becomes too late, China needs to adhere to the Olympic ideals of peace and understanding. Right now we all know that the games are important to China. Post games what aspect of influence will remain from the rest of the world?

We all need to make a stand and encourage dialogue for change, especially where there is a clear demonstration of apathy from either the host or any participating country. I am confident that the more of us that talk about the ideals of peace and unity the greater the potential that someone will listen and lives will be changed.

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Although Vaisakhi concurs with the first harvesting of the crops for the year – considered as a celebrating harvest festival in North India.Sikhs have a specific reason for celebration. On this memorable Baisakhi day (March, 30 of A.D.1699), Guru Gobind Singh Sahib called a big meeting at Kesgarh Sahib near the City of Anandpur Sahib. Between fifty to eighty thousand Sikhs attended this meeting. When all were expecting to hear words of comfort and consolation from the lips of their Guru, they were perturbed to see him with a drawn sword in his hand and say ‘ Is there anyone here who would lay down his life for Dharam?’ There was a big silence, but the Guru went on repeating his request. At the third call Daya Ram, from Lahore, rose from his seat and offered himself. The Guru took him into an adjoining enclosure and soon after came out with blood dripping, sword in hand. Flourishing it before the gathering, he asked again, ‘Is there any other Sikh here who will offer himself as a sacrifice (for the cause of dharma)?’ At this Daram Das, of Delhi (Haryana side) came forward and was taken into the enclosure. The Guru again came out with the blood-stained sword, and made his previous demand. In the same way three other men stood up, one after another, and offered themselves for the sacrifice. One was Mohkam Chand, of Dwarka (Gujarat State); another was Himmat, of Jagannath (Orissa State); and the third was Sahib Chand, of Bidar (Karnataka State). The Guru, after dressing the five in handsome clothes, brought them from the assembly.

These five were then administered ‘Khande di Pahul’ , the double-edged Sword Amrit. They were then knighted as Singhs, as the Five beloved ones, the first members of the Order of the Khalsa. The Guru then asked them to administer the Pahul to him in the same manner in which he had given the Pahul to them, and it was done so.

The Guru said that  whenever and wherever five baptised Sikhs come together, the Guru would be present. All those who receive Amrit from five baptized Sikhs will be infused with the spirit of courage and strength to sacrifice. Thus with these principles he established Panth Khalsa, the Order of the Pure Ones.

At the same time the Guru gave his new Khalsa a unique, indisputable, and distinct identity. The Guru gave the gift of bana, the distinctive Sikh clothing and headwear. He also offered five emblems of purity and courage. These symbols, worn by all baptised Sikhs of both sexes, are popularly known today as Five Ks: Kesh, unshorn hair; Kangha, the wooden comb; Karra, the iron (or steel) bracelet; Kirpan, the sword; and Kachera, the underwear.

Unlike most of other faiths where only the clergy are in uniform, all Sikhs are enjoined to always wear their uniform of faith at all times and to adhere to the ideals of the “Sant-Sapai” Saint-Soldier; to practice their belief always (rather than on just a particular day or time ie: just Sunday or Friday); to maintain and protect the cosmic balance in the world; to guard against tyranny, discrimination, evil and injustice. These five articles of faith distinguish a Sikh and are essential for preserving the life of the community founded on nothing but truthful living.

The Five Ks, or panj kakaar/kakke, are five items which display and show the wearer’s conviction to the Master and are a constant reminder of the adorner’s love for the high principles set by their Leader and Commander-in-Chief; faith in the Khalsa; deep conviction to Satguru – the “timeless true Guru”; putting the values of the Khalsa above one’s personal and materialist needs; the willingness to sacrifice one’s life for the value set by the Sikh Gurus.

• Kesh: (uncut hair) A Sikh is to maintain and adorn this natural God-given gift. To work with nature and not against it. The Kesh was covered with a turban, Keski or Chunni to keep it clean and manageable.
• Kanga (wooden comb) for the maintenance and ongoing upkeep of Kesh. A reminder to regularly maintain the body and mind in a clean and healthy state.
• Kara (steel bracelet or bangle): Symbolises an unbreakable bond with God. It is a constant reminder that the Sikh is a servant of the Lord. He or she must only do His work in accordance with the Holy Scripture; to abstain for wrong-doing at all times.
• Kachhera (cotton underwear) Standard, Naturally Comfortable, dignified attire reflective of modesty and control. A sign of a soldier; ever ready; dignified and highly mobile.
• Kirpan (a small sword) A sign that a Sikh is a soldier in “Akal Purakh’s (God’s) Army” (Akal Purakh de fauj); to maintain and protect the weak and needy and for self defense. Never to be used in anger.

The Sikhs uniform unifies and binds a Sikh to his/her commitment to the true, universal, social and temporal principles defined and amplified by the ten Sikh Gurus and laid down in Sri Guru Granth Sahib at all times.

The Nagar Kirtan

Vaisakhi is celebrated in much the same way as Gurpurbs. Gurdwara’s are decorated and visited. Many Sikhs choose to be baptised into the Khalsa brotherhood on this day.

The festival is marked with nagar kirtan processions: processions through the streets (nagar means “town”) which form an important part of Sikh religious celebrations.

Kirtan is a term meaning the singing of hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib/ Sri Granth Sahib Ji. This is more than scripture of the Sikhs. The Sikhs treat it as a living Guru. The Guru Granth Sahib means “The Supreme Scripture Enlightener,” which was recognised as the guiding scripture and spiritual leader of the Sikh community in October, 1708.

Celebrations always include music, singing and chanting scriptures and hymns. The Guru Granth Sahib is carried reverentially into the Gurdwara. The processions are led by the Panj Piaras. The Guru Granth Sahib will be carried in the procession in a place of honour.

At the Gurdwara, the Nishan Sahib - the holy flag or exalted ensign - a symbol representing the values of the Sikh faith is cleaned with the pure substance of Yogurt. The Sikh pennant is made out of saffron-coloured, occasionally out of blue-coloured. The cloth is triangular in shape, normally each of the two equal sides being double of the shorter one. The pennant is stitched to the mast sheath at the top which is also of the same cloth. The symbol shown on the flag is the Khanda - In the centre of the insignia is the two-edged sword which symbolises the Creative Power of God which controls the destiny of the whole universe. It is the Sovereign Power over life and death. One edge of the Sword symbolises divine justice, which chastises and punishes the wicked oppressors; the other edge symbolises Freedom, and Authority governed by moral and spiritual values.

On the outside of the two-edged sword, we can see two swords: On the left is the Sword of Spiritual Sovereignty (Piri); On the right is the Sword of Political Sovereignty (Miri). There must always be a balance between the two, and this balance is emphasised by a circle inside. This circle is what is called a Chakra. The Chakra is a symbol of all embracing Divine Manifestation, including everything and wanting nothing, without beginning or end, neither first nor last, timeless, Absolute. It is the symbol of oneness, of Unicity of Justice, Humanity and the Immortality.

In 2008 the Sikhs will be celebrating the 300th Gugaddi Divas of Guru Granth Sahib Ji. In October, 1708 Guru Gobind Singh Sahib ji, bestowed the Gurgadi (spiritual, social, political leadership and throne of enlightener) to Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

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It has been an interesting week.

On Monday 3rd March I was asked to attend a workshop at the House of Lords, re: ideas for projects to help youth appreciate and respect each other, i.e: our religious differences. The Trust was established to promote the education of children and young people about the religions of the world and funds projects that bring together young people of different faiths to improve collaboration and understanding.

On Tuesday 4th March I was back to Westminster to attend a meeting to see if selective Members of parliament and a minister would support the development of a sports arena in West London, again for youth.

With regard to the Inter faith meeting it was great to see so many people come together in a hope that projects could be developed to help form a foundation of respect. I suggested more multimedia.

In terms of the sports facility that may take time but the intentions are good - an aim to bring people together in an area that has seen issues such as crime, drugs and underinvestment.

The concept of unifying oneself towards a common aim is a good one. Not only for moral support and increased understanding but in a hope that a positive outcome can result.

Interestingly, on Friday of the same week (7th March) the BBC commenced their series entitled, ‘White season’. The commissioning of this potentially dangerous line of thought (you only have to see the advert to spot the alarm and complaints already lodged) could be described as being negative.

There currently seems to be a debate to define the differences between multi-culturalism, ethnic origins and religion.

The French have clearly become confused with their disrespect, hidden inside their thoughts on Secularism.

Back to the Interfaith meeting…

What I found was encouraging was the way that all the faith representatives who attended suggesting lots of projects and potential ways of countering concerns. For example:

• Meeting people from different faiths and backgrounds can strengthen your own beliefs
• The need for co-ordination between different groups
• Encouraging dialogue between youth from different UK regions and religions
• Developing interfaith projects driven by the youth

With regard to the latter, there was an excellent Sikh speaker from Scotland. She spoken about how each year people from different faiths would meet, camp, share ideas and develop a booklet on common themes - For example, the environment. She gave hope to us all that the youth had the power to lead us to better understanding and as adults we also had a part to play.

The annual Birmingham to London Cycle ride is another charity that attempts to bring communities together - raising funds for children’s charities. In July 2008 it will be held between 19th-20th July - More information and a new website coming soon at http://www.charitybikeride.com

A few weeks back I wrote an article on the need for more positive media. Developing projects that celebrate what people from different backgrounds can do is certainly good news to communicate.

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In my last post I wrote about the importance of Corporate responsibility.

One of the amazing things I’ve noticed is how people can come together to help each other.
If these attributes are true what is stopping us from eradicating poverty?

In many ways our lives are fuelled by the need to survive and progress. However, the environment that exists in rich countries does not help matters, for example: a poor work-life balance, stresses of having to perform for corporates, the mobile phone and the rush to get results amongst sometimes brutal corporate competitiveness. All these factors make us forget that we were once innocent children who could befriend anyone and have no ego in the way.

One way to make the world a better place has to be to use the existing channels of communication to highlight the plight of poorer nations.
I still believe that although there is a dark element to the Internet, it still has the power to harness good, for example:

• More on-line campaigns through tools such as Facebook
• A continuous flow of emails to ensure that those that have power can see that we put them there and they work for us!
• Bringing the themes of poverty into the mainstream in terms of encouraging the press to uncover stories
• Being positive and optimistic

With regard to the latter point, communicating positive stories in the media about how certain campaigns have worked.
We hear so much negativity, is it not time to communicate the issues and suggest that hope is possible.

The video from Leona Lewis supports the Sport Relief campaign. We need to stop poverty - The attempt to make it history must have a target date for its eradication. Notice at the end of the video with the kids smiling - That is what we need to remember can be achieved if we believe in the mission to drive the agenda rather than just be passengers of life.

The Sport Relief 2008: Zambia Food Appeal from the BBC is also an interesting video…

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